570 workers axed in Sepa pay row

12 April 2012

Hundreds of staff are to be dismissed from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) after refusing to accept new pay and conditions.

About 570 employees will have their contracts with the body terminated after failing to agree to the new terms.

This represents 43% of the total workforce of the agency, which numbers some 1,330.

About 130 more will have their pay frozen to bring it in line with the new pay grading system.

Sepa insisted the new arrangement benefited about half of the agency's lowest paid staff.

But public sector union Unison said Sepa was "behaving like the worst Victorian mill owners".

A Unison spokesman told the Herald newspaper: "Unison will not accept such dictatorial behaviour and will be discussing ways to counter Sepa's latest actions using all available means including industrial action where appropriate."

Sepa defended the introduction of the new structure, saying it was to meet "all legal requirements under equality legislation". The agency also insisted: "No-one is being made redundant."

The notices of dismissal, which will be issued on Tuesday, will be accompanied by an offer of re-engagement on the new terms and conditions, a spokeswoman said.

The current contracts are set to finish at the end of May.

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